Relationships between flowering and honey production of red ironbark, Eucalyptus sideroxylon (A. Cunn.) Benth., and climate in the Bendigo district of Victoria

Abstract

Records of growth, flowering and honey production of red ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon (A. Cunn.) Benth.) forests in the Bendigo district of Victoria are analysed. The sequence in which stems and flowers develop is described. Annual growth is bimodal and occurs during autumn and spring. Growth requires a threshold temperature of 16–17°C and a monthly rainfall of 45–60 mm. The rate at which flower buds develop in exposed umbels is related to the temperature and rainfall during the spring growing season. Flowering starts in January, reaches a maximum in July and ends in September. Honey production depends on flowering abundance, the number of hives at a site, the length of the harvesting time, and rainfall and temperature during and before harvest.